The invention relates to valves for pressurized dispensing containers and is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with such valves in which a high discharge rate is required.
Known valves for this purpose may be of the type comprising a valve housing defining a valve chamber and having at its lower end an inlet for pressurized material, an annular flexible seal closing the upper end of the chamber, a hollow actuator member extending in sliding, sealed rotation through the seal and having secured to it, within the valve chamber, a valve member in the form of a cup, the interior of which is in permanent communication with the interior of the actuator member through radial apertures in the wall of the actuator member, and a spring urging the valve member upwardly into sealing engagement with the said seal, the actuator member being manually moveable downwardly against the action of the spring to unseat the valve member to open the valve.
Such a valve is described in our earlier British Pat. No. 1293136 and, in that case, the radial apertures in the actuator member are formed by slots which define between them legs, the legs being frictionally retained in the valve member. While providing good flow characteristics, a potential disadvantage of that arrangement is that, if the legs become disengaged from the valve member, the actuator member may slide outwardly through the seal with relatively little difficulty and thus the actuator member may be accidentally knocked off the valve. This is undesirable particularly where the valve is used in applications such as fire extinguishers.